CAMILLA, Ga. (WALB) —Jerran Grissom, known as King, is a junior at Mitchell County and this week’s Valdosta State University Scholar Athlete of the Week. King holds a 3.5 GPA and competes as a dedicated athlete year-round.

King said his path to football started with encouragement from an older friend.

“My sixth grade year, I was not going to play football, but I have an older friend, Darius Robinson, who’s like a brother to me now, which I grew up with,” King said. “He told me, why not go and get in the fields, I can go and get the hang of it. And not just that, when I went out there, he also introduced me to the middle school coach, which got my name out there.”

A guiding influence

Robinson’s guidance led King to football, but King said it also steered him away from trouble.

“This one time, me and my homeboy, we were going to go do something. Not real, real bad, just a little prank on somebody,” King said. “And the thing is, (Robinson) was the one that told us not to. And I’m very glad he told us not to, because if we would have did, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

King said he does not know what he would do without Robinson.

“I don’t know what I’d do without that friend, that brother to me,” King said. “Without him, I’d probably be lost right now.”

Paying it forward

King said he now looks to be a positive, older figure for others, especially family.

“He treats me and looks at me like a younger, blood-related brother. And I’m always grateful for that,” King said.

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